A few weeks ago, the ever so lovely Leela over at She Simmers challenged me to create a French dessert that encapsulates the classic flavors of Thailand. She wanted something with the gentle kick from galangal, the citrusy aroma of lemongrass and the inebriating perfume of kaffir lime leaves, all in one delicious sweet package.

After scratching my head for quite a bit i came up with a funkified version of Baked Alaska which we should really rename Baked Thailand for the occasion, or Omelette Thaïlandaise in French.

Check out my guest post and recipe at She Simmers. See you on the other side.

This is an absolutely scandalous version of Chawanmushi because the addition of foie-gras is well – not very Japanese, isn’t it? It’s an invention of Iron-chef Morimoto, who should be renamed Mori-wicked for coming up with dishes like these. This is decadent hedonism in a cup my friends, take a deep breath and get ready to enter the zone…

This wachashimu… shi.. shichawamu.. i mean.. cha.. Chawanmushi is beyond luxurious and requires a little bit of Zen in the making because it cannot (and shouldn’t) be rushed. It’s your lucky day because i am Zenchef, the incarnation of calm and serenity [!], and i will guide you through the process of making this chihuahua without loosing your sanity or worse… your mojo’.

You are safe with me my friends.

Let me deconstruct this shimuwancha for you. It’s made of the following components:

• Shanton Broth
• Foie gras
• Eggs
• Dashi-Mirin sauce
• Roasted Duck
• A touch of grated wasabi

The Shanton broth is a rich meat stock made from beef, pork and chicken bones. Some dried longans, citrus peel and peppercorns are added halfway through the cooking time to give it a light sweetness. It’s then blended with fresh foie gras, a few eggs and here you have it.. a Foie-Gras milkshake! Don’t drink that stuff without putting yourself on life support first. Actually no, don’t drink it. The idea is to have a batter that’s the opposite of a milkshake in texture. No bubbles allowed. Think smooth, not foamy.

The Foie-Gras custard is then poured in a chawan, ramekin or whatever you want except your Grandma’s china (think small portions because it’s so rich) and it’s covered and steamed in a bain-marie until lightly set.

A sauce made from sweetened sake (mirin), dashi, light soy sauce and thickened with a little bit of cornstarch is poured over the top. The wamuchashi is then garnished with thin slices of roasted duck, chives and a touch of grated wasabi and enjoyed immediately.

Don’t forget that the simple and elegant presentation of this dish enhances the pleasure of your guests. A small detail, the lacquered wooden spoon is perfect for enjoying the silky texture of the custard.

The consultation is over. You can put your clothes back on.

Itada Kimasu!

Foie Gras Chawanmushi

(makes 4 to 6 servings)

Recipe adapted from Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking

For the shanton broth:

• 1 lb fresh ham, cut into chunks
• 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 lb pork neck bones
• 1 ln beef shin
• 2 teaspoons dried longans
• 2 pieces dried citrus skin
• 8 black peppercorns

For the dashi:

• 1 piece dashi Kombu, 4 by 6 inches
• 4 cups filtered water
• 1/2 cup packed bonito flakes

For the Chawanmushi:

• 2 cups Shanton broth
• 8 ounces fresh foie gras, at room temp’
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup Dashi
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons light-colored soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh wasabi
• 1 teaspoon finely minced chives

For the shanton broth:

• Bring a stockpot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby.
• Add the ham an cook until the water comes back to a boil. Transfer the ham to the ice water to cool down immediately. Repeat this operation with the chicken, pork bones and beef shin. This step removes blood and excess fat from the meat and helps create a clear stock.
• Rinse the meat in a colander, place in a clean stockpot and add fresh water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Simmer for 2 hours.
• Add the longan, citrus peel and peppercorns and continue simmering for 2 hours longer. Strain the stock and reserve.

For the dashi:

• The night before, or a few hour before making dashi, soak the piece of kombu in the filtered water. When ready to proceed, bring water to a simmer over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let stand until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the saucepan, about 15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a sieve and reserve.

For the Chawanmushi:

• Preheat the oven to 350′F.
• Place the Shanton broth and foie gras in a blender. Add a large pinch of salt and white pepper. Blend for about 20 seconds, until smooth. Add the eggs, one at the time and pulse briefly after each addition. The eggs should be thoroughly combined without creating a great deal of foam; do not overprocess.
• Strain the foie-gras custard through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Ladle the custard into four to six custard cups. Place them in a baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the cups. Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil (or if using Chawan cups, put the lid on).
• Bake the custards for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are set in the center.
• While the custards are baking, make the sauce. Combine the Dashi, mirin, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Whisk the dissolved cornstarch and bring to a boil, whisking until thickened. Remove from the heat.
• Carefully remove each custard cup from the water bath. Place on a serving plate, spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of sauce over each custard and sprinkle grated wasabi and minced chives. Serve immediately.

Rejoice my friends and enjoy this Green Tea Tart with Lychees and Raspberries i made especially for you. It’s a French tart with an Asian twist i saw at Payard in New York and tried to recreate at work, i added quite a bit of zen-ness to it of course. It starts with a coconut sable crust with a raspberry jam on the bottom, a delicious green tea cream goes on top garnished with lychees, raspberries and fresh mint. It got a good review from the Big Bossman. I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

Green Tea Tart with Lychees & Raspberries

(serves 6)

For the coconut sable crust:

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 4 oz butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes
  

For the green tea cream:

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 5 eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon green tea powder (maccha)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• a few drops green food coloring (optional)
  

To assemble and garnish:

• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 2 cups drained lychees, cut in half
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chiffonade

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For the coconut sable crust:

Preheat oven to 400’F. Butter an 8-inch tart pan and set aside.
Whisk the cream and egg yolk together in a small bowl.
In a mixer fitted with the dough attachment, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter and mix on medium speed until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the coconut flakes, and mix until just combined. Add the cream and yolk and mix until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough and chill for one hour.
When ready to proceed, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a ¼-inch circle. Roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up and unroll over the tart pan. Gently fit the dough into the pan and cut-out the excess. Prick the bottom with a fork and line it with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill the lined tart shell with dry beans or pie weights, and bake 12 minutes. Remove the aluminum with the beans and bake another 12 minutes, until the crust is evenly light golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.

For the green tea cream:

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch, then whisk in the eggs until well combined.
In a small saucepan, combine the cream and the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk in green tea powder and remove from heat. Add half of cream mixture to eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk mixture back into remaining cream and place over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency (if mixture gets lumpy blend for 30 seconds).
Remove from heat, stir in butter, strain through fine mesh sieve and cool over ice bath. Whisk in a few drops of green food coloring (if using).

To assemble and garnish:

With small offset spatula, line the bottom of the coconut sable crust with an even layer of raspberry jam.
Fill the shell with the cool green tea cream and spread evenly.
Garnish with lychees, fresh raspberries and mint. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

You will have to wait until the end of this post to find out more because i’m a bit hungry right now… Let’s eat!

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the brain behind the steak and this recipe can be found in Simple to Spectacular. In the book, he claims this dish has the potential to become a real classic and i think i agree with him and not just because he’s one of my kitchen heroes. I promise he didn’t bribe me either. I used Kobe beef because.. well, errr… I don’t have a budget to respect at work and also because it was meant to be served as a small tasting. It was pure indulgence. In fact, it’s was so rich that you should consider having your doctor check your pulse while you’re chewing. We’re never too cautious.

Steak with Soy-Ginger Sauce

(serves 4)

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless ribeye or sirloin steaks
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook until nicely browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, another minute or two. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the steaks to a plate.
2. When the skillet has cooled slightly, return it to the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and, when it melts, the ginger. About 30 seconds later, add the soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water and stir to blend. Return the steaks to the skillet, along with accumulated juices.
3. Turn the heat to medium and cook the steaks for a total of about 4 minutes, turning 3 or 4 times. (If at any time the pan threatens to dry out entirely, add another couple tablespoons of water.) At this point, the steaks will be medium-rare; cook for a little longer if you like, and serve, with the pan juices spooned over. Enjoy!

Win this beautiful cookbook Asian Grilling by Su-Mei Yu. You can follow the link to Amazon to learn all about it, you can even have a peek inside. How cool is that? I can tell you it has mouth-watering recipes that are perfect for the summer and beautiful pictures too. I will probably make a few copies before i send it to the winner… if you don’t mind.

Same rules as last time, just leave a comment on this post. Comments will be numbered in the order they are received and a winner will be picked randomly. Easy enough? Everyone is welcome to enter and i will ship the prize anywhere in the world at my own expense. You have until Thursday, July 3rd at midnight (eastern time) to enter. The winner will be announced on the July 4th week-end. Deal?Good luck to all!

Today’s recipe honoring the precious bean is quite unusual but very delicious. This is the Yin & the Yang of salad making and in order for you to understand it properly i have to hypnotise you. Don’t worry it won’t hurt a bit … but you might loose your wallet in the process. Big deal! Now relax and stare at the picture below for a minute.

You are now slowly drifting into a Zen-like state of calm, far from the multitasking and responsibility of daily routine, a haven of peace also known as the ‘Twilight Zen’. In other words, you’re mine, you’re all mine!! Muuaaararrarrgghhh *evil laugh*

1. Now imagine the sweetness and acid present in most tropical fruits complementing perfectly the lush meatiness of prawns or lobster. Breath in deeply.
2. Add the black pepper-vanilla bean vinaigrette to that thought as something providing a tropical sensuality and a pleasant, cutting heat. Exhale.
3. Feel the salty crunch of buttery macadamia nuts adding texture and depth. Breath in deeply.
4. Imagine the arugula or watercress and the mint providing the cleansing quality needed to keep the fruit, the prawns and the vinaigrette in perfect balance. Exhale.

Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve just experienced the Yin & the Yang of salad making. Now relax. Take a deep breath. Make sure your clothes are still on. Enjoy life’s little pleasures.

Tropical Fruit & Prawns Salad with Black Pepper-Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette

(serves 4)

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• Pulp of 1 vanilla bean (i use Tahitian vanilla)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the salad:

• 12 prawns, cooked and shelled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups watercress or arugula, washed
• 1 papaya, peeled, seeded, cut into thick slices
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, cut into thick slices
• 1 cup pineapple wedges, thin slices
• 1 passion fruit, halved and pulp reserved
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

For the vinaigrette:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend for 30-seconds. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

For the salad:

1. Toss the prawns with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper
2. Toss the arugula or watercress with 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper
3. Toss together the arugula or watercress, papaya, mango, pineapple in a medium bowl
4. Arrange the salad on each plate. Top with the prawns. Sprinkle with macadamia nuts. Spoon a little more vinaigrette over the prawns. Spoon passion fruit around each plate. Sprinkle each plate with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.